KARACHI, Aug 25: The Tanzeem-ul-Madaris Ahle Sunnat Pakistan (TMASP), which represents over 3,000 institutions, is not against registration of madressahs, but would like that all institutions registered under the Societies Act 1860 and The Trust Act 1882 should not be made to register afresh and should be taken as legally registered madressahs.

The TMASP President, Mufti Munib-ur-Rehman, said this while addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Thursday.

The TMASP chief, who was accompanied by heads of a dozen seminaries, said that their madressahs had no link with any kind of terrorism, extremism or sectarianism, nor were these imparting military training. He said their institutions were like open books, which were often visited by diplomats.

In reply to a question, he said they had three objections to the recently enforced ordinance for registration, which pertained to submission of audit report under oath, submission of details of accounts, and the demand to expunge jihad from the syllabus.

He asked, when no other institution was asked to furnish audit report under oath, why were the madressahs being asked to meet the condition.

Likewise, the institutions (madressahs) were made responsible to submit details of income expenditures to their respective bodies and not to the government.

And, that jihad was part of the ideological education and could not be removed from the syllabus, as it had nothing to do with provide military training to students.

Mufti Munib also announced that the TMASP would be holding an international convention on “Madaris-i-Ahle Sunnat and Challenges of the Present Era” in Islamabad on Aug 30 at the Jinnah Convention Centre.

The convention, besides strengthening the network of madressahs and preparing them to meet challenges ahead, would also demonstrate that they were determined to protect the freedom of action and thinking, and religious heritage, and were prepared to meet any situation, he said.

Highlighting the objectives of the moot, he said they had repeatedly warned high government functionaries against elements in the establishment who wanted to create anarchy in the country by pitting the president against religious forces.

He said any internal confrontation and clash would weaken the country on its internal and external fronts.

He advised the government to avoid the indiscriminate use of crackdown policy and settle issues through dialogue and understanding with those who were peace-loving people and were dedicated to academic pursuit only.

Mufti Munib warned the government against stopping foreigner students from acquiring religious education in Pakistan, saying it would be against the national interest, and disservice to Pakistan and its ideology.